Homocide
by OmegaMewtwo
Summary: Samus destroyed the BSL labs, and the Metroids on it, but the government had a back up. She stumbles across it, and finds it in shambles. Now she has unleashed an expirement, but what will it do?
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own Metroid.  
  
Third POV  
  
Several scientists were busy typing away at various computers. Different information scrolled across each screen, all of it gibberish to the uneducated. A man came into the room, his face hidden by the shadows. "How is our creation doing?" He asked.  
  
"No abnormalities as of yet, sir." An intern reported.  
  
"And the others?" The man asked.  
  
"Also progressing finely." The intern replied.  
  
"Have you disposed of the failures?" The man asked.  
  
"Yes, sir. They have all been jettisoned." The intern replied.  
  
"Good. Get back to work." The man ordered. His gaze fell upon the row of stasis tubes in front of him. A total of nine, and in the center one was a seemingly normal boy. In each of the others was one of the universes most feared creatures. The man smiled before turning and leaving the room. Unbeknownst to everyone else, the boy stirred slightly.  
  
2 months later...  
  
"It's awakening!" An intern said, breathless. The man stood up from behind his desk.  
  
"What are you waiting for? Start the preparations." The man ordered.  
  
"They've already been started." The intern said as the man came around the desk and began heading towards the door. The intern followed him down to the lab. The lab was busy, and hands fluttered across various keyboards. The liquids in the various tanks started draining, and the boy slumped in the bottom of his tank.  
  
"What's the status?" The man asked.  
  
"Heart rate is normal, blood pressure is normal, everything's normal. He should be fine in approximately an hour." A scientist said. The liquids in the other eight tanks finished draining.  
  
"Good, just enough time to get it contained." The man said. A team of scientist in biohazard suits was already entering the room.  
  
Suddenly, the boy's eyes snapped open. The scientist's eyes widened in shock. "Sir, he's awake. Adrenaline levels are at twice their normal amount, his heart rate has increased dramatically." The scientist said.  
  
"Are the Metroids still inactive?" The man asked.  
  
"Yes, sir. For all purposes, they're dead." The scientist replied.  
  
"Good. Send the scientists in there. It shouldn't be too hard to capture." The man said. The scientist nodded, and relayed the order. The boy looked around, observing everything. His icy blue eyes met those of the man's, and a grim, morbid smile crept across the boy's face. The door sealed shut behind the team of scientists, and the boy whirled to face them. His smile never left his face as the Metroids began stirring within their tanks. The two largest ones were up and about immediately, and set to work trying to break out of their tanks. The one with a five foot diameter accomplished this task easily, and began helping its comrade. After the second, slightly smaller Metroid was free, they attacked the scientists that were attempting to escape. The scientist in the control room watched in horror. "Send in the guards. They are to use their Ice missiles on the Metroids and the experiment." The man ordered. Before anyone could relay the orders, all the Metroids were free in the room. They freed the boy before they burst out of the room and began to swarm the rest of space station. The boy simply watched, and observed.  
  
Samus Aran sat bolt upright in her bed, panting. She'd been having dreams like these for a week now, and it was beginning to worry her. She got up, and went into what served as a bathroom on her small ship, and turned the faucet on. She splashed some water onto her face, and washed it. As soon as she was done, she went to the cockpit. "Anything new, Adam?" Samus asked.  
  
"I'm picking up a faint distress signal near the planet RB-249, but otherwise nothing else." The computer replied.  
  
"How far off course is it?" Samus asked.  
  
"It would cause an approximate two day delay." Adam said.  
  
"Let's go investigate it then. Maybe it'll help put me back on the good side of the Federation." Samus replied.  
  
First POV  
  
I watched it all, and felt nothing. The Metroids were happy, since they were getting energy. I walked over to the remaining scientist. He was half buried in rubble, and was the one that was always with the man. The man that had seemed to be the leader. "Why? Why are you doing this?" The intern asked. I grabbed his throat.  
  
"It doesn't matter why, it only matters that I am." I replied before I suffocated him. With the last scientist killed, there was nothing left to do. The scientist's words were echoing in my mind. One of the Metroids came up and gave a reassuring chirp. I smiled, a real smile this time. I decided to investigate what the humans had been doing here, so I proceeded towards one of the remaining computers. It was still showing what it had before the scientists had been killed. I read a bunch of information, all useless to me. Something finally caught my eye.  
  
Proper human DNA found, commencing to splice with Metroid Queen. Successful cloning of Aran's Metroid complete, original is now frozen in a cryotube. First successful Metroid bonded to nobody, has been put in stasis as a DNA resource. Nine Metroids being grown along with the Human-Queen. Human-Queen is ready to be awakened. No defects so far.  
  
That was where it left off. I looked at the picture labeled Human- Queen. It showed me, floating in a cloning tank. I growled, and punched the screen of the computer in. I was nothing but a mere tool in the eyes of the humans. The largest Metroid came over to me, wondering what they were supposed to do next. "Why, we search for our brethren." I said. I walked out of the room, and the Metroid followed me. Somehow, I knew exactly where the two Metroids were, along with the ones that had been cloned with me. I made my way towards the elevator, Metroid staying at my side. In the elevator, I pressed the button to go to the bottom floor. The elevator whirred to life, startling the Metroid. It gave a squeak of alarm, but it soon calmed down. It dinged every time it passed a floor. The doors slowly opened, and I strolled out. The Metroid floated behind me. We were in a room filled with cryotubes, and stasis tanks. Inside the nearest one was a strange purple creature. I walked closer to see it better. It had large claws, and it seemed so insectile. A name floated into my mind. A Zebesian Space Pirate. I walked past that tank, and stopped at another. In this one was another Metroid. It was about two feet in diameter, and its tank was labeled as a failed experiment. I read over the controls, and proceeded to awaken the Metroid. I turned back to the Metroid following me. "This Metroid will awaken soon. It is supposed to be aggressive, and I want you to calm it down." I said. The Metroid chirped an affirmative. I continued looking through the various tubes until I found one with a tiny Metroid. As I began to awaken it, the ship rumbled. I started the awakening procedure, and ran back towards where my Metroid was. It was arguing with the other Metroid. "Stop it, you two. We're being attacked." I ordered. The Metroids fell silent. I heard the elevator doors open. "Stay here." I told them. I walked around the tube just as a human came out of the elevator. She appeared to be weak, so I came out into full view. She gasped when she saw me.  
  
"We have to hide; there are Metroids loose on the ship." She said, out of breath. I laughed. "What's so funny?" She asked.  
  
"I know about the Metroids. I'm their leader. Come!" I said. The two Metroids from earlier came out, and took positions on either side of me. The girl's expression turned to one of pure fear. She began backing away.  
  
"Why? Why are you doing this?" The girl asked. I stopped, as my mind flashed back to the scientist.  
  
"What is it with you humans and that damn question?" I yelled. The Metroids stopped, confused by what was happening.  
  
"You're a human too." The girl said. I let out a bark of laughter.  
  
"Maybe I was, at one point, but you humans changed that. You had to fuck my DNA up! You turned me into a tool, a weapon." I said.  
  
"I can understand killing the scientists, but why me? I didn't know about this ship until today. Can't you just let my family and I go?" She asked.  
  
"You're a human. I don' need any other reason." I said, advancing on her. I heard a squeal, and something collided with my head. I grabbed it as it tried to fly away. It was the tiny Metroid. It squeaked in alarm when it sensed my anger.  
  
"Leave it alone!" The girl ordered. I looked at her in shock. This puny human had the gall to order me. "I said to leave it alone! You're so cruel, even to your allies." The girl said. I grunted, and threw the Metroid against a wall. It gave a small squeak as it hit the wall.  
  
"You're one to talk. You change DNA as if it was a toy." I replied. The small Metroid began squeaking at me. "Spare her? Why would I do something like that?" I asked incredulously. The Metroid continued squeaking. "Why should I do as you ask? You attacked me." I replied. The Metroid gave a bit of a rude reply. The ship shuddered a bit again. I ignored the girl and Metroid, and started walking towards the elevator.  
  
"Where are you going?" The girl asked.  
  
"I'm going to kill whoever's on coming onto this ship." I replied.  
  
"But what about the Metroids?" She asked fearfully.  
  
"They won't attack you unless I tell them to. Besides, the little one has imprinted on you." I said. The girl ran up to my side.  
  
"Well I'm coming with you." She said.  
  
"Fine. I'm not responsible for any injuries, and if you get in my way, I might just have to kill you." I replied.  
  
"My name's Riina, by the way." The girl told me. I grunted an acknowledgement as I stepped into the elevator. She followed me, and the Metroids floated in. The tiny one landed on Riina's shoulder, spooking her. The elevator doors opened to reveal a being in a strange suit freezing my Metroids with a beam of ice. Its gun arm clicked, and I saw a missile ready to be launched.  
  
"Stop!" I ordered. The being paused. The medium sized Metroid behind me floated by, and began to nudge up against the being. It made sounds of being content. I ignored that for now, but the being was looking down at the Metroid. "Who and what are you?" I asked. The being looked up at me. The large Metroid hovering over my shoulder squeaked something, as did the one that was nudging the being. "What do you mean, it's your mother?" I asked the medium sized Metroid. It gave a squeak. The being reached behind its neck, and unlatched its helmet. It pulled it off to reveal a young woman. She looked down at the Metroid nuzzling her.  
  
"Hatchling?" She said questioningly. The Metroid squeaked affirmatively.  
  
"Not another one." I groaned. The large Metroid gave a squeak. "What do you mean, 'like us'?" I asked. The Metroid squeaked and chirped. I shook my head in exasperation. I heard a click, and looked back towards the woman. Her gun arm was aimed right to my head, and I was looking at a missile. A grin crept across my face. The Metroids behind her were thawing. "You think you can kill me and get away with it?" I asked.  
  
"Just answer my questions, and I'll let you go free." The woman said. I turned to face Riina.  
  
"Now would be the time to help." I said.  
  
"You told me not to interfere. Besides, I want to have some answers also." Riina replied. I sighed, and turned to face the woman.  
  
"First of all, what's with all the Metroids?" The woman asked.  
  
"I'm their leader, and they are my hive." I replied casually.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" She asked.  
  
"Precisely what I said. They take orders from me, except for the tiny one and the one you called Hatchling." I told her. The woman's face remained expressionless.  
  
"What happened here?" She asked, gesturing to the destroyed lab. I laushed, near maniacally.  
  
"The humans messed with DNA, and it backfired. I killed them all." I said.  
  
"Then who sent the distress signal?" The woman asked.  
  
"Distress signal? No body sent a distress signal." I replied.  
  
"Uh, that probably would have been my family. We found the ship, and boarded it. The Metroids attacked, so my brother sent a distress signal out." Riina told us.  
  
"Alright, now why did you kill them all?" The woman asked.  
  
"I'm getting really sick of that question. Besides, you should know. If what my Metroid says is true, you're very much like me." I replied.  
  
"No, we're nothing alike. I'm not a homocidal maniac, so answer my question." The woman ordered.  
  
"But you do have Metroid DNA in you, as do I. In fact, your DNA is the same as that Metroid's." I replied, pointing at the Metroid nuzzling her. Her gun wavered, and I took my chance. I slammed the gun down, and delivered a punch to her gut. I prepared to grab her throat, but she surprised me by bringing her fore arm up into the side of my head. I hit the wall, leaving a dent. She was about to slam me with her gun arm. I ducked, and rammed my shoulder into her. She went flying back, and the Metroid that had been nuzzling gave a squeal of alarm. When the woman came charging at me, she fired off a missile. I dodged, and looked back to where she had been. When I didn't see her, I began looking around. Something fell on me from above, and a wave of cold swept over me. The woman stepped off of me, and picked her helmet up. I trid moving, but I was frozen solid.  
  
"You're lucky, if I had used more than an uncharged Ice Beam, you'd be dead. Now back to the questions." The woman said. I tried moving again. "What do you know about this Metroid?" She asked.  
  
"Some of your DNA came from it." I replied, mentally communicating with the Metroids. "It thinks that you're its mother. It was the first Metroid cloned. It's the original from the Ceres station." I told her. I kept struggling, hoping I would thaw out soon. I began to be able to move my arm. The woman saw this, and froze me by shooting me with her Ice Beam.  
  
"So the Metroid taken from the Ceres station wasn't Hatchling?" She asked.  
  
"Not a clue. And must you keep freezing me? It hurts like hell." I replied.  
  
"One more question. What's your name?" She asked. I stopped struggling for a moment.  
  
"Uh..." I said.  
  
"You don't know your own name?" The woman asked incredulously. I tried to think of a name.  
  
"His name's Ruska." Riina said. I silently cursed under my breath. Now she decides to say something. The woman looked at her. Then she turned back to me.  
  
"Do you know who you were cloned from?" She asked. I gave a snort. How was I supposed to know who I was cloned from? "Well then, we'll have to search the Federation databanks." She said. She picked me up, and hefted me over her shoulder. I silently ordered the Metroids to come with us. When the large Metroid moved, the woman stopped. "What are they doing?" She asked.  
  
"Coming with us, what does it look like?" I retorted.  
  
"But you didn't say anything. Besides, I don't trust you with a bunch of Metroids at your fingertips." The woman replied.  
  
"Ever heard of mental communication? They are my hive, for crying out loud. And they're not going to attack you. I want to find out who I've been cloned from also." I said.  
  
"Fine, but they'll be locked in the cargo compartment with you and the girl." The woman replied. She began walking again, and Riina and the Metroids followed us.  
  
"You really need to stop being so paranoid. Of course, the Metroids and I are you superior to you in every way, so it's understandable." I said. The Metroid she called Hatchling squeaked something rude at me. "Well fuck you too, human-lover." I replied. The Metroid made more rude noises at me.  
  
"Getting insulted by your own soldiers. Pitiful." The woman said.  
  
"He's not under the influence of my hive, you have more control over him than I do. He thinks you're his mother." I told her. She dumped me on the floor of the cargo bay we were in.  
  
"That would be Hatchling for you. Don't even try breaking out, I can just open the cargo hatch, and let you all be sucked out into space." The woman said as she left the room. The door slid closed, and all the Metroids, including Hatchling, were locked in this room with that human girl and I. I stretched my muscles as they thawed. Riina came over to me.  
  
"Are you alright?" She asked.  
  
"What do you think?" I retorted. She sighed.  
  
"Just because some scientists thought you were a tool, something to observe, doesn't mean everyone else feels the same way." Riina said. I snorted.  
  
"Everyone else thinks of me as a weapon." I said, sitting up.  
  
"I don't think of you that way." Riina muttered. I looked at her questioningly, so she continued. "I think of you as a friend." She said.  
  
"So you think of me as someone to save your but when you screw up, or you feel threatened. Yippee, a passive weapon." I replied.  
  
"That's not what I meant." Riina replied.  
  
"Right. And I'm the head of the Galactic Federation." I retorted. Riina sighed disgustedly.  
  
"Just when I though there was hope, you go and blow it." Riina muttered.  
  
"Huh?" I said.  
  
"Never mind, it doesn't matter." Riina said. I wrapped a hand around her throat and picked her up. Her Metroid squealed, and tried to attack me. I grabbed it also.  
  
"I'd like to know. Now tell me." I ordered her.  
  
"You can't do it, can you?" Riina asked. I glared at her, but let her drop. She smiled.  
  
"What are you smirking at?" I asked.  
  
"Maybe there is hope." She said.  
  
"Alright, this is getting annoying. What are you hiding, I want in on it." I replied. She smiled and stood up. One of my Metroids gave a questioning chirp as I let go of her Metroid. Riina was still nervous around the other Metroids, including her own. "No, don't kill her...yet." I told it. It gave a sad squeak. I chuckled a bit at its comment.  
  
"How can you understand them?" Riina asked.  
  
"Understand who?" I asked.  
  
"The Metroids." Riina replied.  
  
"Probably something to do with the mental bond. I think if you concentrated hard enough, you'd be able to understand them." I replied. Hatchling gave a low, sad moan. "Suck it up!" I told it. Hatchling chittered at me. Riina giggled a bit. "What's so funny?" I asked.  
  
"What Hatchling said." Riina replied. I sighed, and began looking around. When I didn't find a way out, I sat down next to a now sleeping Riina. I closed my eyes, and leaned back against the wall. 


	2. The Original

Disclaimer: I don't own Metroid.  
  
Omega Metroid's POV  
  
I prowled the cramped hallways, looking for another place to evolve. I returned to where I had last evolved, where the ship had been. As I prepared to evolve again, I heard something coming closer. I growled in annoyance, and slipped back into the shadows. As the being came closer, I sensed it as a Metroid. I realized it was probably here to evolve into a Queen. With as much X as it had absorbed, one could make five or six Queens. I jumped from the shadows and roared a challenge. The tiny Metroid accepted, and shot at me. None of them hurt me, so I swiped at the Metroid. It crouched, and panted. Before I could finish off the Metroid, an incredibly powerful X floated in. It formed into a copy of the small Metroid, and began attacking me. The pain surprised me, and I stumbled back. I gathered my wits, and slammed the X into the ground. I reached out to absorb it, it could help me evolve. It moved away from me, and towards the small Metroid.  
  
SA-X's POV  
  
The Metroid reached towards me, and I moved away. I moved closer to the human with Metroid DNA, hoping it would absorb me. I was the second SA- X, the second strongest X in existence. I was one of the few X with actual intelligence; there were only two others like me. We X that had real intelligence didn't know what the other X were doing until they had evolved far past our capabilities to contain them all. We respected the woman called the Hunter. I would have liked to battle her a few more times, but that was no longer a choice. Her decision to destroy the lab and planet was a good one, but I had to fight her at least once before I died. When she touched me, I poured every ounce of my energy into her instead of fighting the absorption. As my power flooded into her, time slowed for me. Her suit changed to be a dark red and orange, and became much better. She still wasn't strong enough, so I poured more energy into her. Her suit changed again into an orange and yellow suit, and her cannon gained the Ice Beam. This all happened in less than a second. I watched her battle the Metroid, and noticed it raise its arm. I silently yelled to dodge back, and amazingly the Hunter did. As the battle ended, I felt my consciousness fade. As I faded, I let one thought echo in my head. You are indeed the ultimate warrior... Samus Aran.  
  
Ruska's POV  
  
My eyes snapped open, and I glanced around nervously. The cargo bay was dark, and the Metroids were sleeping. I felt something leaning on my shoulder. I reached over and felt it. Riina had apparently fallen onto me in her sleep. A light flickered on, and the woman stepped into the room. She was still in her suit, and I realized who she was. She had been in my dream! "What's your name?" I asked her as she came closer. A Metroid stirred.  
  
"Most call me the Hunter. Now get up, you're coming with me." She ordered. I grumbled, but agreed. I didn't want to feel the piercing cold of the Ice Beam again.  
  
"What about Riina?" I asked.  
  
"She's staying here." Samus replied. I realized that if that dream was true, this woman was indeed powerful while in her suit. I would have to wait until she was out of her suit before I could attack her. I paused and shook the largest Metroid awake. "None of your Metroids can come either." Samus told me. I ignored her, and sent a few silent orders to my Metroid. It gave a squeak of reassurance before falling asleep again. I followed Samus out of the cargo bay, and into a space station's docking bay. The door slid shut behind us. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and stared at us. We just kept walking. I glared at several people, and they returned to their jobs. I ran into something hard, and looked in front of me. A large being with four arms, a reptilian tail, compound eyes, and a hard exoskeleton stood in front of me. It growled at me, and I somehow understood it.  
  
"Maybe you should watch where you're going. Now move out of my way." I ordered. The creature roared at me. "Yeah, well you're so ugly the doctor slapped your mother." I replied. The creature was about to bring its fist down on me, but I was yanked out of the way. Samus set me down outside a door.  
  
"That wasn't exactly the most intelligent thing you've done." Samus said.  
  
"I could have killed him easily." I replied.  
  
"Yeah right." Samus said, knocking on the door. There was movement on the other side of the door, and it slid open to reveal a haggard man in his 40's. He looked at us in confusion, and I noticed that his room was a mess. "Are you Brent Otoosan?" Samus asked.  
  
"Yeah. Would you like to come in? I'm sorry my place is a mess, but I've been caught up in my research. I've been studying X parasites." He said, opening the door and stepping out of the way. I walked in, but Samus didn't move.  
  
"Are you an idiot?" She growled at Brent. Brent looked at her confusedly.  
  
"I beg your pardon?" He asked.  
  
"You have X parasites on a heavily populated space station. Don't you know what the X are capable of?" Samus asked.  
  
"I'm well aware of that, that's why they're all dead. I separated the DNA and the cells, and preserved them. They're no longer dangerous." Brent replied.  
  
"You should completely destroy them while you still have the chance." Samus ordered. I watched the two in confusion.  
  
"First of all, who are you to be ordering me around, and second of all, I need them for testing." Brent said. Samus aimed her gun arm at Brent's head. I smiled, this was getting interesting.  
  
"This is at its Wide Beam mode, so you won't be able to dodge. And what are you testing that needs the X?" Samus asked.  
  
"Why should I tell you?" Brent replied. I gawked at this. This guy was an idiot, how did he get to be a scientist. I saw small ball of energy form at the end of Samus's gun arm, and she tried to give the man an uppercut with it. He disappeared and reappeared a few feet away. "It works!" Brent exclaimed, detaching a box from his belt. Now Samus and I were both confused.  
  
"What is that?" I asked.  
  
"Eh? Oh, this. It's a weak teleporter. Relies on a psychic connection." Brent said pulling a couple of wires that went under his lab coat and around to his back. "Works best if the person is in danger." Brent said, picking up a pencil and writing something on a nearby piece of paper. "And to answer your question about the X, I'm testing a virus on them. I'm trying to eradicate them with a special virus." Brent said. The sphere of energy at the end of Samus's gun dissipated.  
  
"I've already destroyed them all." Samus said.  
  
"Right. Well, why did you even come here to begin with?" Brent asked.  
  
"This boy here is some clone of yours that the Federation used in a genetics experiment. I figured he could stay with you." Samus replied. Brent looked thoughtful for a moment, and walked into another room. I heard papers shuffling, and then he came back out.  
  
"Oh, yeah. The Federation said he was just to test a possible X vaccine, and then he was going to be put up for adoption. Never did agree with what they did with genetics, but they said they needed my DNA. Why'd you bring him here?" Brent asked.  
  
"What they told you was a load of bull. I was made to be a weapon." I told him. He looked at me in surprise.  
  
"They didn't want to keep you, or something? They just let you go free?" Brent asked. I laughed.  
  
"Of course not. I simply killed them all." I replied offhandedly.  
  
"Maybe now the Federation will stop messing with genetics, and stick to basic cloning." Brent muttered.  
  
"So do you mind if he stays with you?" Samus asked.  
  
"No, I don't mind. Who are you, by the way?" Brent asked.  
  
"Samus Aran. Now if you'll excuse me." She replied, walking towards the door.  
  
"Hey, what about my Metroids and Riina?" I demanded.  
  
"The Metroids will probably have to be terminated, and Riina will be sent to her family." Samus replied.  
  
"Oh yes, Metroids. How is Hatchling?" Brent asked Samus.  
  
"How do you know about Hatchling?" Samus asked, cutting off what I was about to say.  
  
"Well Hatchling was sent to me a day after your dropping him off at the Ceres station. I had him here for a few months, and then a Federation officer came, saying that Hatchling was to be taken back to you." Brent said.  
  
"But less than a week after I dropped Hatchling off, he was kidnapped by Ridley." Samus said confusion evident in her voice.  
  
"That was Hatchling's clone. Didn't you know that he had been cloned, and then sent to me?" Brent asked. Samus shook her head.  
  
"On the space ship I was on, there was a cryotube labeled 'Hatchling'. I thawed it, and it immediately rushed to her when it saw her." I said.  
  
"That's where the Federation took him. No wonder they refused my requests to have you and Hatchling come here." Brent mused.  
  
"So that Metroid was Hatchling. Alright, you're coming with me for a few minutes." Samus said, gesturing to me.  
  
"Not unless you do something for me." I replied.  
  
"What?" Samus asked.  
  
"First of all, my Metroids get to stay with me. Second of all, Riina and her Metroid also get to stay with me." I said.  
  
"No." Samus refused flatly. I was about to say something, but Brent cut me off.  
  
"No, it's alright. The Metroids would be useful if the X ever broke out, and they make great companions. And I'm sure an extra person wouldn't be too hard to support." Brent said.  
  
"Again, no. I'm not leaving a potential weapon in the hands of a psychopathic killer. And Riina will probably want to return to her family." Samus said. I smiled and chuckled.  
  
"Even without my Metroids, I could kill everyone on this station. My Metroids would just make it quicker and easier." I replied.  
  
"Fine, you can have your Metroids." Samus replied.  
  
"And what about Riina?" I asked.  
  
"No, she'll go back to her family." Samus said.  
  
"They're dead. She's the only survivor. Where's she to go?" I replied.  
  
"Away from you." Samus said. Brent sighed.  
  
"Why don't we ask her?" Brent suggested.  
  
"Fine. And I'd suggest that you also move to a larger area, with nobody else around after we've gotten this straightened out." Samus replied. Brent gave her a confused look. "He's a psychopathic killer, and the Metroids will probably attack people also." Samus said.  
  
"Hey, just because I killed more than a hundred people doesn't mean that I'm about to kill everyone the first chance I get. And the Metroids will only attack if I tell them to." I interjected.  
  
"Well buying a large ship shouldn't be too bad, although I'll have to dig my savings out, but it'll be tough moving everything in." Brent said. Samus began walking towards the door, and I followed her. Brent snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed we were leaving, and followed us. "What are you going to do about Hatchling?" Brent asked Samus. She ignored him, and he sighed. This time when we entered the docking bay, nobody looked up from their work. There were several guards gathered around the cargo hatch of Samus's ship. Samus ran over to see what was happening. As soon as I had entered the docking bay, I had known what was going on. I calmly walked over, and shoved a guard out of my way. Samus was ordering the guards back, and prepping a missile. I looked up at where the cargo hatch used to be, and saw my three largest Metroids floating there. Behind them were the other six, and behind them were Hatchling and Riina's Metroid. Riina was at the very back, confused.  
  
"You'd better tell them to stop attacking people, or I'll kill them right here and now." Samus ordered. I snorted.  
  
"I ordered them to protect Riina if anyone tried getting on the ship. They're being defensive, and attacking anyone that comes close to them. Someone must have tried to enter the ship, and they retaliated." I told her. Samus whirled to face the guards.  
  
"Who tried to board my ship?" She growled. An officer stepped forward.  
  
"Simply standard procedure. We must check a ship's cargo to make sure it's non-lethal. You are hereby placed under arrest for containing dangerous cargo aboard your ship." The officer said.  
  
"They're not cargo, they're passengers." Samus said. I ordered the Metroids to stand down for now.  
  
"They have exhibited no qualities of being sentient, and are thus considered animals, and thus cargo." The officer replied.  
  
"Not true. I'm the hive mind, and they're a part of me. I'm sentient, and so are they. I control them." I told the officer. He didn't even glance in my direction.  
  
"Metroids are Class A, non-tradable items anyways." The officer said.  
  
"They weren't being traded; didn't you hear what the boy said?" Samus asked.  
  
"Yes, I heard what he said. It is also highly unbelievable." The officer said. I growled, and yanked the guard towards me so that we were face to face.  
  
"You wouldn't want everyone here to find out your little secret, now would you?" I asked. The officer gave me a confused look, so I tossed him into a nearby ship. I walked over, and crouched in front of him. "The fact that you're an android could really ruin your reputation." I whispered. He glared at me.  
  
"How did you know?" He asked.  
  
"Metroids can sense living things and non-living things." I replied. I stood up, and walked back towards Samus's ship. The officer took longer, since he had to act like a human. I walked past the guards and towards Samus's ship. The Metroids moved out of my way, and I walked towards Riina.  
  
"Ruska, was everything you said out there true?" Riina asked me.  
  
"Bout what?" I replied.  
  
"About you telling the Metroids to protect me." Riina said.  
  
"Yeah, it's true. You still have questions to answer." I told her. Her Metroid gave a small squeak. Samus came onto the ship. I noticed that she still had her gun loaded.  
  
"Riina, Ruska's going to be leaving us. Would you rather go with him, or look for another place to stay?" Samus asked her. Riina looked from me to the Metroids, and then to Samus.  
  
"I-I think I'll go with Brent." Riina said. Samus nodded silently, and walked deeper into the ship.  
  
"C'mon, let's get going." I said, walking back towards the cargo hatch. Riina followed me silently, as did the Metroids. Everyone except Brent and the officer stepped back in fear when they saw the Metroids. I jumped down from the ship casually, and Riina climbed down. Everyone backed away even more, and I saw the creature that I'd run into earlier. He was glaring at me, and I simply ignored him. I walked over to Brent. "What're we going to be doing now?" I asked.  
  
"You're going to get an ID, and your Metroids are going to have to stay at my place. The officer here will be registering you for your ID." Brent said, gesturing to the android officer. I shrugged, and walked over.  
  
"Let's get this over with." I said. The officer nodded, and started walking. I followed him nonchalantly. We entered a room, and the officer turned on the nearby computer. He picked up a syringe, and attached a needle to its tip. "Hey, what's that for?" I asked nervously.  
  
"To get a DNA sample." The officer said.  
  
"You're not touching me with that needle!" I exclaimed, backing away. The officer smiled.  
  
"Too bad, but it's going to happen." The officer replied.  
  
Third person POV  
  
Brent calmly walked down the hallways with the Metroids chittering at him. He couldn't understand them, but they tried anyways. They wanted to go help the hive master. Riina followed him. "Um, sir. Where are we going?" Riina asked him nervously.  
  
"Huh? Oh yes, you were coming with Ruska. At the moment, we're heading back to my apartment. I need to purchase us a ship, and then we'll have to load all of my stuff onto the ship. And call me Brent. I hate formalities." Brent said. Riina nodded silently. A few loud yells suddenly echoed through the space station.  
  
"What was that?" Riina asked.  
  
"Probably just Ruska." Brent replied.  
  
"That was Ruska?" Riina asked incredulously.  
  
"Yep. Probably just had his DNA sample taken." Brent said.  
  
"How would you know?" Riina asked. A large square bulge appeared in the wall near her, and she jumped back in surprise.  
  
"He has a small fear of needles, since he was cloned from me." Brent said. Riina was just staring at the dent in the wall.  
  
"Just a small one?" Riina asked sarcastically.  
  
Ruska's POV  
  
I stopped panting for and glared at the officer. He was holding the syringe in his hand, looking smug. I looked around for something besides the filing cabinet to throw at him. He simply ignored me, and proceeded to place the contents of the syringe in a vial. The next part I didn't see because my back was turned on him. I didn't find any other objects to beat the officer over the head with, so I proceeded to pull the file cabinet out of the wall. The officer tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned around to face him. "What do you want?" I growled. He handed me an ID card. "Oh." I muttered, stuffing it in my pocket. He opened the door, and I walked out. I looked around for Riina and Brent because I thought I'd heard them right before I rammed the file cabinet into the wall. I didn't see them anywhere, so I just strolled down the hall. I was suddenly stopped as somebody grabbed the back of my shirt. "I'd suggest letting go of my shirt." I said.  
  
"No. I need to talk to you." Said an ever familiar voice. I turned around to see Samus with her suit still on.  
  
"Whadda you want?" I asked.  
  
"To make sure you don't kill anyone." Samus said.  
  
"What are you going to do, stalk me?" I replied.  
  
"If I have to, yes." Samus said.  
  
"Jesus Christ, it's not like I'm going kill everybody, just the people that get me mad." I said.  
  
"You can't kill any citizens." Samus ordered.  
  
"Screw you, I'll do what I want." I said.  
  
"I bet you can't do it." Samus replied.  
  
"I can keep myself and my Metroids from killing people, but I don't want to." I said.  
  
"Bet you 2,000 credits that you can't go without hurting Riina or killing anyone." Samus replied. I thought about it for a moment. A smile crept across my face as I found a loophole in her bet.  
  
"Fine. How long?" I asked.  
  
"Five years." Samus said.  
  
"Five years!?!" I exclaimed.  
  
"Take it or leave it." Samus retorted.  
  
"Fine. In five years, prepare to pay me 2,000 credits." I said. Samus nodded, and walked away. I turned my back on her, and continued deeper into the ship.  
  
"And you owe me for the damage your Metroids caused!" She called back to me. I ignored her, and kept walking. I rounded the corner, and continued down the hall. I made my way to the door that I recognized as being Brent's, and opened it. I didn't see Riina or Brent in the living room, so I plopped down on the couch. About five minutes later, I was asleep. 


	3. The Revival

Disclaimer: I don't own Metroid or related items. A/N: Replies to Reviews will be at the end.  
  
Third POV  
The young Metroid that was taken from the Ceres station floated alone, trying to sort its memories. It had just attacked the one that it thought was its mother, but as far as it knew it didn't have a mother. It remembered hatching, and seeing her. It remembered being exposed to a strange energy source, and feeling immense pain as it split. It couldn't remember in between those times, but it still thought that she was its mother. The Metroid heard a scream of pain, and recognized the voice as its mother's. It flew off towards the scream, and latched onto the large creature that was standing over its mother. It began to drain the energy, and prevented the creature from attacking. The Metroid continued sucking energy until its body couldn't hold any more. It floated over to its mother, and clamped onto her. She struggled, but the Metroid held firm as it began to restore her energy. Its mother stopped struggling, and let the Metroid finish. As the Metroid prepared to leave, the large creature woke up. It began to attack, so the Metroid protected its mother, and she tried to get out from under the Metroid to resume the attack on the large beast. When it was weak, it lifted off of her and began to float away. It then floated towards the large creature, intent on sucking all of its energy. The large creature attacked it with an energy attack, and the Metroid squealed in pain. It diverted all of its energy towards its mother as she got up, and took aim at the large creature. As its energy dissipated, the Metroid lost consciousness. The last thing it saw was its mother attacking the large creature.  
  
Ruska's POV  
  
I awoke with a start to find myself on the floor in an unfamiliar room. I scanned around the room quickly, looking for any living things. I saw nothing, but noted that I was apparently in a living room. There was some furniture that had come from Brent's place, but there was some other stuff, but I didn't recognize it. I got up, and walked towards the door. As soon as I opened it, a couple of my Metroids floated in, chittering. Someone was standing in front of me, a box in their hands that obscured their face. "Who are you?" I asked irritably. The person poked their head around the box, and I recognized it as Brent.  
  
"Oh, hello Ruska." He said, "How do you like the ship I bought?"  
  
"Good." I replied. I walked by him, and into the docking bay of the space station itself. Outside, I turned around to see the ship. It was larger than Samus's ship, approximately twice its size. It was pure metallic black, and reflected the light in away that made it resemble the void of space and the stars. I was suddenly picked up by the back of my shirt. I found myself facing the creature I had run into the other day. He growled a challenge to me, and I smiled a morbid smile. I was going to have myself a little fun.  
  
Third POV, somewhere in space  
  
Ridley swallowed the last of his meal, and licked his chops. He gazed at his stolen merchandise. The tube contained a young boy who gave off strange energy readings, but the Federation wanted him badly. They'd been chasing Ridley for almost a month now, and he was getting sick of it. He considered dumping the tube, and simply returning to his private planet, but decided that he'd rather know why the Federation wanted this boy so badly. His comm. unit beeped, and he whirled around to check it. An unknown ship was hailing him. He brought up a visual, and saw a purple ship with its guns trained on his. The ship seemed familiar, but he didn't recognize it. He opened a voice only comm. channel. "Unidentified vessel, state your purpose and identity." Said an all too familiar voice. Ridley growled, and the person at the other end of the comm. recognized it.  
  
"Hello again, Samus." Ridley replied. He brought a visual up, and immediately saw that Samus no longer had her Power Suit. "What happened to your suit?" Ridley asked snidely.  
  
"What are you doing here, Ridley? And how did you survive Zebes' destruction?" Samus asked.  
  
"Didn't the Federation tell you? They took my battered and bruised body off of a chunk of Zebes, and restored me to health. They even made a few clones of me. If they had waited even an hour more, I would have died. Now I repeat my earlier question, where's your suit?" Ridley told her. Samus sighed.  
  
"Destroyed, just like you will be." Samus replied. Ridley's ship shuddered as Samus shot its main engines. It started to drift down to the planet that it was orbiting around. Ridley cursed, and cut the comm. link. He steadied the ship as well as he could, but knew that he was still going to crash unless Samus shot him first. The ship shuddered again as it crashed into the planet's surface. Ridley checked on the tank to make sure that it was alright before he climbed out of the ship. He saw Samus's ship coming in for a landing. He was worried. He knew he could defeat Samus if she wasn't at full power, but if she had all her upgrades then he was as good as dead. Samus appeared beneath her ship in a beam of light. She took aim at Ridley quickly, and fired off three Super Missiles in rapid succession. Ridley took flight, and the missiles narrowly missed.  
  
"You're losing your touch Samus." He taunted, unleashing a volley of Fireballs. She dodged them with ease.  
  
"I'm not the only one." Samus said as she charged forward using her Speed Booster. As soon as she was underneath Ridley, she let loose her charged beam combo and followed it up with a few Missiles. Ridley crashed into the ground behind her, but hi tail lashed out and sent her flying through the wall of his ship. She gave a groan of pain. The tail hadn't caused too much damage, but crashing through the ship's hull had taken out two of her energy tanks. She slowly got to her feet when she saw the empty tank nearby. Ridley appeared, and unleashed another volley of fireballs. Samus dodged, and temporarily forgot about the tank. As soon as the smoke cleared, Ridley noticed the shattered tank.  
  
"What did you do?" He growled as Samus landed nearby. Samus aimed her charge beam at him and let it loose.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Samus said.  
  
"The Federation's experiment, you destroyed it." Ridley said, using a fire ball to nullify the charge beam.  
  
"Federation experiment?" Samus replied.  
  
"Something else that the Federation didn't tell you? They had a strange human clone nearby where they kept me. I decided to bring him along with me." Ridley told her. Samus stopped her attack in surprise.  
  
"Shit! Not another one!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Oh, so you do know of it." Ridley said.  
  
"I know of another one. The Federation has been splicing Metroid Queen DNA with a human's. They can control Metroids, and are stronger than your average human." Samus told him. Ridley halted his attack in curiosity, but kept himself on alert. "We have to find that specimen." Samus said.  
  
"And why should I help you?" Ridley retorted.  
  
"You will if you value your life. This suit is stronger than my Gravity Suit, and has better weapons." Samus replied. Ridley considered this for a minute.  
  
"Why would you want to hunt it down anyways? It's not like you're going to get a reward." Ridley said. Samus was about to reply, but a rumbling sound cut her off. Ridley looked around, searching for any signs of bad structural integrity. Without warning, the roof caved in on both of them. A lanky boy walked out of his hiding place just outside the ship, and sniggered.  
  
"I wonder if there's enough of them for me to absorb." He said.  
  
Third POV, remains of the Restricted Sector  
  
An orange liquid oozed out of a small crack in the chunk of flooring. There was barely enough of it to fill an eight oz cup, but it was alive. As it clung to the chunk of the floor, it began to multiply and grow. In minutes it had assumed a human shape, that of Samus Aran. Then the shape of her suit formed over it, and it finished transforming. As the last spot of liquid disappeared, the SA-X looked around. It began to remember what had happened, and looked around for any surviving Metroids. There were none. It then proceeded to look around for any type of ship. The SA-X noticed a small salvage ship approaching. She positioned herself so that she could watch it, but it couldn't see her. She clung to the chunk of flooring to keep from floating off, and prepared her Grapple Beam. The ship slowly floated by, and she launched her Grapple Beam. It latched on right next to the cargo hatch. The beam retracted, and as she came closer to the hatch, she cocked her fist back. As soon as she could, she plowed her fist through the hatch, and fumbled around for the opening switch. When she found it, she used it to open the hatch and climb in. She was immediately confronted by three energy rifles. "SA-X, surrender or you will be killed." One of the men said. The SA-X didn't bother replying, and simply fired three quick Plasma Beams at the three men. They dropped, each one with a large smoking hole in their chest. The SA-X then noticed the charred Chozo statue that had been behind them, and in its hands was the Gravity Suit upgrade. A smile crept across the SA-X's face as she reached for it.  
  
A/N: Sorry this is so short, the next one will be longer. Now for the Reviews.  
  
Just here: Thanks for the review!  
  
Specter von Baren: What Ridley Clone? If you're talking about the one from the BSL station, it was destroyed. And Samus had Adam pilot the ship to the space station while they slept. 


	4. The Meeting

Third POV  
  
The SA-X walked through Sector Six, looking for the Hunter. It had to warn her of the Metroids. Suddenly, a klaxon sounded, and the SA-X realized what was happening. The Hunter had made her way to the Restricted Sector, and was unable to enter. The SA-X began moving towards the Restricted Sector, destroying everything in her path. By the time she reached the Restricted Sector, the klaxon had stopped and the Hunter had passed through here. The SA-X ran faster, and used her speed booster. She soon found herself standing in front of the tank of Metroids, but the Hunter was no where in sight. The SA-X sighed, and a piece of her right foot returned to its X form and slithered into a crack in the floor. The SA-X then proceeded to attack the Metroids. Another klaxon began sounding, and the Metroids began to descend towards the SA-X. The Hunter came in, and the SA-X tried to say something but a Metroid latched onto her helmet and began to crush it first. The Hunter stood there stunned, but then proceeded to Space Jump out of the Restricted Sector as more Metroids latched onto the SA-X. The Metroid that had first latched on floated away, now much larger. It floated out after the Hunter. The SA-X tried to aim her gun arm at it, but another Metroid latched onto that. The Metroid was able to slip out just before the lab detached. The Metroids drained the SA-X entirely, except for that one little bit in the floor. It didn't currently have much intelligence, but it knew to stay where it was. And it waited until the Restricted Sector had detonated before it assumed it was safe.  
  
Ruska's POV  
  
I finished my attack with a kick to the gut of the alien, right where the plating was open, and the soft innards were exposed. He exhaled sharply, and collapsed. I thought about killing him, but I remembered my bet with Samus. I bent down by his head. "You're lucky that I don't simply kill you." I told him. I wiped some the internal fluids off my hands using my jeans, and I stood up. As I walked away, the crowd gathered around the fallen alien. Riina came running down the hall, having heard the commotion.  
  
"What did you do Ruska?" She asked as she came to a stop.  
  
"Nothing. It's not like he's going to die or anything." I said, walking by her.  
  
"Ruska, you can't just go around hurting people. It's against the law." Riina replied.  
  
"So?" I said. Riina sighed in frustration.  
  
"Just stop attacking people, alright?" Riina said.  
  
"Where's the fun in that?" I asked. Riina just sighed again, and began walking back to the ship. I followed her. "Where's your Metroid?" I asked her.  
  
"Most of the Metroids are in the environmental sector of the ship. Two of yours are following Brent around." Riina told me.  
  
Third POV, Ruins of Ridley's ship  
  
The strange boy began walking away from the remains of the ship, and towards Samus's. The guns shifted to aim at him, and a voice sounded out. "Hold it right there." They said.  
  
"Why should I? And who are you?" The boy asked.  
  
"If you move, I will fire. State your identity." The voice ordered.  
  
"You haven't answered my other question yet. How rude." The boy said. A shot rang out, and there was a smoking hole between the boy's feet. "Testy, testy." The boy taunted.  
  
"Answer the question." The voice ordered.  
  
"Fine. My name is Abunai. Now who are you?" The boy said.  
  
"None of your business." The voice replied. A groan from behind the boy caught his attention. He turned around to see Ridley standing up, and pushing rubble off of himself.  
  
"Damn human." Ridley muttered. The sound of more rubble shifting also caught Abunai's attention. Samus was also standing up.  
  
"I'll give him this much. He did more damage than the other one. Of course, the other one used hand to hand combat." Samus said, charging her beam.  
  
"How about we put our fight on hold for a moment, and dispose of this nuisance?" Ridley growled. Samus was about to reply, but Abunai cut her off.  
  
"You two are stronger than I thought; maybe I can use the body of one of you." Abunai said. He dashed forward towards Samus, and she swung her gun arm at him since the beam wasn't done charging. As she hit him, a smile crept across his face. He slammed into a chunk of rubble near Ridley, and he felt one of his ribs crack. He coughed up some blood.  
  
"Maybe he isn't as tough as I thought." Samus remarked, coming closer. Ridley looked at her in confusion.  
  
"All humans are weak without the aid of machines, why would this one be any different?" Ridley asked. Abunai forced himself to his feet.  
  
"Well the other one was much stronger than he should have been. I was worried this one was just as strong." Samus said. Abunai's chest began to become discolored, and soon became a thick, yellow liquid. It then reformed into a normal human chest. Samus immediately aimed her gun at his head. "And this one isn't a normal human either, it's an X parasite." Samus told Ridley.  
  
"Oh no, you found out my secret. I guess I'll have to kill you now." Abunai said.  
  
"What's an X parasite?" Ridley asked.  
  
"A creature that infects and destroys a body as it becomes the body. Only Metroids are immune. I lost my old suit to one of them." Samus said. A grin crept across Ridley's face.  
  
"And I would suggest not using them as a weapon. If they touch you, you can get infected and you'll die." Samus told Ridley. The grin disappeared almost instantly. Abunai mad a move as if he was going to charge Samus again, and she fired. He immediately went back towards Ridley, and grabbed a hold of his tail. The armor on Ridley's tail began to steam as Abunai's cells began to eat through it. He began to immediately began to collect DNA, and Ridley shook his tail to get him off. Abunai went flying. He hit a cliff face, and his spine cracked from the force. He slumped to the ground, and began to laugh. His feet began to turn to their liquid form, and it continued upwards. Soon, he was entirely in liquid form. His cells began to multiply at an exponential rate, and he soon assumed Ridley's shape. The liquid then formed into Ridley's skin, skeleton, and organs. He immediately took flight.  
  
"Thank you for this wonderful form. See you in hell!" Abunai said before flying away.  
  
"Shit!" Samus exclaimed. Ridley inspected his tail for a moment. If Abunai had held on a few seconds longer, he would have drawn blood.  
  
"What's the big deal if he has my DNA, its not like he can go around unnoticed like that. Now shall we resume our battle?" Ridley said.  
  
"He can reproduce asexually. In a day there could be several Ridley- X's flying through space." Samus told him.  
  
"The Federation can hunt them down." Ridley said.  
  
"They created him. They'll try and use him, not destroy them. And if they give him a sample of my DNA, there could end up being several more of me running around in Varia Suits with all my weaponry." Samus replied. That caught Ridley's attention.  
  
"Then how do we stop it?" Ridley asked.  
  
"Weaken it enough to go into it's liquid form, and then I can absorb it." Samus said.  
  
"I thought it would infect you?" Ridley said questioningly.  
  
"I have Metroid DNA in me. It caused this suit to grow from what remained of my Varia suit. I've upgraded it past the Gravity Suit, and I've got all my weaponry and more. Since I have Metroid DNA, I'll be able to use it to restore another ability, or simply heal myself." Samus told him.  
  
"Why wasn't I infected?" Ridley asked.  
  
"He didn't get a chance to enter your body." Samus replied simply. "Adam, do you think you could track him?" Samus asked, turning back to her ship.  
  
"I tried Lady, but he did something to throw me off his trail." Adam replied.  
  
"He's got a tracking system in his blood. Just set your radar frequency down to channel 687" Ridley said.  
  
"Should I Lady?" Adam asked Samus. She nodded.  
  
"And Ridley, I'm going to have to ask you a few questions." Samus said.  
  
"Fine by me, so long as you answer mine." Ridley replied.  
  
Third POV, Salvaging ship  
  
The SA-X grinned as it felt the power surge, and her suit began to change. It changed piece by piece, and the SA-X watched as the status gauge on her head's up display began to go off the wall with the readings it was getting. As soon as her suit finished transforming, she walked forward into the cockpit. She used the scanners to check the area for more ships. There were none. She took a look outside the cockpit, and saw the remains of SR388 and the BSL station. "No. Not my home." She muttered. She felt indescribable sorrow at the sight of SR388. She didn't remember ever being on it, but she had always thought of it as home. She felt that she knew who had done it, and understood their intentions, but it didn't ease the pain. The SA-X looked down at the controls, and began entering her destination.  
  
Ruska's POV  
  
"So what's the name of this planet that we're going to?" I asked from my position on the couch.  
  
"I dunno, Brent hasn't told me yet." Riina replied.  
  
"In other words, Brent hasn't found a place for us yet." I said.  
  
"Yep." Riina replied.  
  
"So explain to me again why I can't hurt people." I said. Riina sighed.  
  
"It's illegal, and you'll be arrested." Riina told me.  
  
"And I care about this, why?" I asked.  
  
"They could sentence you to death if you continue this!" Riina said.  
  
"They don't stand a chance in hell of killing me." I replied.  
  
"They wouldn't go as easy on you as Samus did. They'd try to capture you for tests, and if they fail that, they will go all out against you." Riina said. I just shrugged.  
  
"I'd like to see them try." I replied. "Say, why did you name me Ruska?" I asked.  
  
"It was the name of a pet I had that acted almost like you do." Riina replied. I almost fell off the couch.  
  
"You named me after a pet?!" I asked incredulously. Riina nodded. I sighed in exasperation.  
  
SA-X's POV  
  
I slowed down as I neared my destination, and began to turn the magnetic clamps on. A large ship flew by, and I smiled to myself. I passed by, close enough for the magnetic clamps to latch on. I felt a strange sensation in my gut, as if Metroids were nearby. I dismissed that thought quickly. The Hunter had destroyed them all when she destroyed my home and the space station.  
  
Ruska's POV  
  
The ship shuddered a bit, as if it was dragging something. The Metroids were actively broadcasting their apprehension. "I'm going to go see the Metroids." I said, getting up and walking out of the room. The ship shuttered again, and then a warning klaxon sounded. I ignored it, and continued onward. Three beams of plasma cut through the hull in rapid succession, and then metal booted foot kicked it out.  
  
SA-X's POV  
  
I released my charged Plasma beam at the floor of my small ship. It burned through my ship's hull, and part of the way through the other ship's hull. I fired three uncharged shots in a triangle formation, and then kicked it out. I jumped down to see a human, and the feeling in my gut strengthened. I grabbed him, and threw him over my shoulder into a nearby wall. I stalked up the hallway in the direction he'd be coming from. I came into a larger room that had a girl sitting in her chair. She had a look of surprise plastered on her face as I brought my gun arm to aim at her head. Something slammed into my midsection from the side, causing my shot to go wide. I cast a glance to my side to see what had hit me. I was surprised to see the human boy from earlier.  
  
Ruska's POV  
  
"Go get the Metroids!" I ordered Riina. She stood there for a second before turning around and running towards the environmental area. I turned my full attention to the armored being. The helmet and gun reminded me of Samus, but Samus's suit was almost completely organic. This one was mechanical. The being made a move, and I ducked and rammed my shoulder into their midsection, and they missed hitting me with their gun arm. I smiled; their moves were so much like Samus's that I could easily predict the next move. I pushed them back another foot or so, and then one of my Metroids flew over my shoulder at the being. They swung at it with their fist, and their other arm came up into my gut. The air was expelled from my lungs, and I was knocked flat on my back. My Metroid was frozen, and the being froze the rest of the Metroids. Brent had heard the ruckus, and was just arriving. The being walked over to me. I tried to punch them in the side of the head, but they grabbed my hand and blocked it easily.  
  
"What are you?" They asked. Their voice sounded incredibly similar to Samus's.  
  
"I am what you see." I replied vehemently.  
  
"I see a weak human, but you've fared better than any other human I've seen. Why?" The being asked.  
  
"What is it with that fuggin question!!" I exclaimed.  
  
"Answer me!" The being ordered, bringing their gun to aim at my face.  
  
"If you really want to know, why don't you cut me open, and take a look!" I said.  
  
"I think I will." They replied, pulling a small energy dagger out of a slot near the hip of their suit.  
  
"What are you doing?" Riina asked them.  
  
"Just what he told me to." They replied. One of my Metroids began twitching as it thawed. The being turned the blade on, and inched it towards my throat, right by the main vein. The Metroid twitched more, and began to move. I suddenly felt a piercing sharpness in my neck, and I heard the click of the switch as the being turned the energy blade off. They pulled their gloved hand back which had blood over the palm. It had a strange bioluminescent glow to it. "That definitely isn't human blood." They remarked. They were silent for a moment, and my Metroid began rising up behind them. "You are one fucked up little person." They remarked. My Metroid screeched, and latched itself on their shoulder. They yelled in pain, and rolled up into a literal ball. My Metroid began to suck their energy, and I noticed something odd about their suit. It began to rust and deteriorate as the Metroid absorbed their energy. I stood over them, and looked down at them.  
  
"You wanted to know what I was. Well, I'll be your death." I told them. I never noticed the small bomb. 


	5. 20 Questions

Third POV

A lone ship floated through space. It was strange in design, it looked nothing like any ship registered in the GF databanks. Inside were five life forms, only three were awake and the other two were in stasis. "We should return to the others. What we're doing is treason." A Space Pirate said in its guttural language.

"No, she said we should find the hunter, and that's what we're going to do." A Shadow Pirate growled. "We've stolen several crates of Phazon. If we return, we die. Got it?" The Shadow Pirate asked. The Space Pirate nodded.

First POV, Ruska

I was thrown into the wall by the explosion, and my Metroids were stunned. The ball unrolled back into the being, and the suit was badly damaged. I coughed up a goblet of blood as I stood up. The being rose their gun arm above my head, and smashed it down onto my skull. Everything went black.

I came to an unknown amount of time later, my head pounding from the blow I had recieved. Riina was sitting beside me. I sat up, and looked around. No one but her. There wasn't even any sign of the Metroids. "How's your head?" Riina asked.

"I'm fine. What happened?" I replied. Riina hesitated for a moment.

"I knocked their helmet off. Our attacker was the SA-X. We got it contained with the Metroids." Riina said. I nodded, and began to get out of bed. I had been stripped except for my underwear. I had bandages across my chest and around my right knee and on my head.

"SA-X? What's that?" I asked.

"It's an X-parasite copy of Samus, and it has her old suit." Riina told me.

"And you defeated it by knocking it's helmet off?" I asked standing and stretching.

"Well it startled it long enough for the Metroids to latch on." Riina told me.

"Why haven't we killed the damn thing?" I asked.

"Because I cut a deal with the girl." A familiar voice said. I looked at the doorway where the SA-X stood, but without her mechanical suit. Two Metroids hovered nearby. "And I'm a female, not a thing." They said.

"What is this deal?" I asked, looking at both Riina and the SA-X.

"That, I cannot say." The SA-X replied. I looked to Riina, but she was silent. "You don't have to worry, I'm not going to infect everyone I see. I'm not your standard X-parasite." The SA-X said, turning and leaving. I went to attack it from behind, but Riina grabbed my wrist, which startled me.

"Don't. She really won't harm anyone." Riina said.

"You humans let your emotions get in the way too much." I replied, wrenching my arm from her grasp, and stalking away.

"But I'm not a human." Riina muttered after I was out of hearing range.

Third POV, Environmental area

Riina sighed, leaning back against a tree. Her small Metroid was sleeping in her lap. The SA-X was sitting in tree with one leg dangling down. The other Metroids were floating around, always watching the SA-X. "Why don't you tell him?" She asked.

"I can't, that would ruin my plans." Riina said.

"Plans? What plans?" The SA-X asked.

"I was told that I was to help soften him, so that he wouldn't be an uncontrollable killer. It's easier to do if he thinks I'm just a normal human. I can't disobey my orders." Riina explained.

"Why follow useless orders like those, when you could probably subdue him by force?" SA-X asked.

"You wouldn't understand, Kiirroi. Just like Ruska doesn't understand that he's wrong." Riina replied.

"That much is obvious." The SA-X replied.

First POV, Ruska

I sat in the cockpit with Brent, thinking. "What happened after I was knocked out?" I asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. After you were knocked out, there was a bright flash. Next thing I know, my forehead is in a sharp pain, and I'm out like a light." Brent replied, as he did something with his teleporter, causing it to spark. He had a bandage wrapped around his forehead.

"Do you know what the deal is between Riina and the X?" I asked.

"No, I don't know. And it worries me." Brent replied. He snapped the cover of his teleporter back in place, and turned it on. It hummed for a moment, and then gave a a bang and died. Brent went to remove the case, but it gave him an electrical shock. I chuckled, but he ignored me and pulled a wrist strap with a wire attached out of his pocket. "Do you know who Riina's parents are?" Brent asked.

"Probably the people I killed when I first met her." I replied.

"I'm not sure if that's true. Did she ever tell you her last name?" Brent said.

"Nope." I replied. What the heck was he getting at? I mentally probed my Metroids' memories, trying to find out what had happened. Whenever I came close, a mental block came up. I frowned.

"What's the matter?" Brent asked, not looking up from his work.

"Nothing." I replied. This shouldn't be happening. I was their superior in the heirarchy. Brent finished fixing the machine, and replaced the cover. He turned the machine on, and it started humming and vibrating. He turned the machine off, and put it in a pocket. He stood up, and checked the readouts on the consoles.

"Hey Ruska, when we make planetfall is there anything you want?" Brent asked.

"A live meal for the Metroids. I don't want them to live off of the ship's power core forever." I replied, exiting the cockpit. As I did, my skin tingled as though there was a large amount of energy residue. "Hey Brent, do we have anything that could produce a large amount of radioactive energy?" I called back over my shoulder.

"No, why?" Brent asked, coming out of the cockpit.

"It feels like there was something in here." I muttered. Brent reached inside the pockets of his lab coat, and pulled out yet another item. This one was a tube. It extended into more of a rod like device, and gave off a buzz followed by three beeps.

"You're right. Something was in here. But we don't have anything that could leave this much of an energy residue. In fact, I don't even know of anything could leave this much, except Phazon possibly." Brent told me.

"Phazon?" I asked.

"It's a mutagen. Very powerful. And it had some interesting effects on Metroids. If I remember correctly, a creature called Metroid Prime produced it as a by product." Brent told me.

"This Phazon stuff is a Metroid by product?" I asked.

"No, Metroid Prime is a highly evolved Metroid, but normal Metroids can't produce Phazon. I wonder if the SA-X or Riina know anything about this." Brent muttered.

"So we have something on board that's very radioactive, enough to kill us if we get near it?" I asked.

"Or horribly mutate us, causing us extensive pain." Brent replied. I was silent for a moment.

"Great." I muttered.


End file.
